WE DID IT! - Cooke Center

Cooke Center Campaign
the road to independence: COOKE CENTER CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER
Spring
2010
The Cooke Center for Learning and Development is the largest private provider of inclusive special education services in New York City, offering preschool programs, a K‐12 school and consulting services that support inclusive learning environments. WE DID IT!
Road to Independence Campaign Successfully Completed.
Thanks to you – our generous and loyal friends – Cooke has
completed the Road to Independence campaign, a
community-wide effort to raise $10 million for the education of
children with special needs.
The Campaign had three priorities:
Renovate the Cooke Center Academy
Create a Fund for Diversity that allows Cooke to
continue accepting students regardless of their families’
financial circumstances.
Create a Fund for the Advancement of Inclusive
Education to foster best practices and demonstrate the
effectiveness of our programs.
Thanks to your generous
donations, the Cooke Center
Academy now boasts:
 A new elevator and sidewalk lift. For the
first time in the building’s history,
students in wheelchairs have complete
access to all five floors;
 A Science Lab;
 The Robards Student Center, a great
CAMPAIGN LEGACY
The Road to Independence campaign has been
so much more than a fundraising campaign. It
has also given us the opportunity to refine how we
position ourselves:


Anyone who needs Cooke can now find Cooke, thanks
to our new website and other steps we have taken to
promote our school. Increased and more appropriate
inquiries from parents, schools, pediatricians and other
referral sources have, in turn, led to record enrollment.
environment for small-group learning and
the place to be at lunchtime;
 A Daily Living Lab with three kitchen
areas and a laundry room where
students can practice important
independent living skills;
 An Art Room;
 New Smart Boards, computers and other
technology;
 Renovated offices, therapy spaces, and
The campaign has also made us more visible to dozens
of corporations, cultural organizations, small
businesses and nonprofits, who now offer our students
enriching off-site education and employment
experiences.
(Continued on Back Page…)
a new entrance area—an inviting
welcome to students, families and
visitors; and
 New building mechanicals and updated
systems, which ensure that the Cooke
Center Academy will operate efficiently
for years to come.
DONORS
The Cooke Center is grateful for the support of the following donors who have
made a gift to the Road to Independence Campaign.
We would like to
acknowledge those
donors at the “head of
the class,” whose
extraordinary generosity
inspired so many others
to participate.
participate.
$1,000,000 and up
The News Corporation
Foundation
$750,000
The Kresge Foundation
The Moody’s Foundation
$500,000
The Carson Family
Charitable Trust
$250,000 -$499,999
Altman Foundation
Marcia and Michael Beck
The Bok Family Foundation
Robert and Kate Niehaus
Foundation
Louise M. Parent and John Casaly
Karen and Tom Robards
The Saxe Family
The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation
The Starr Foundation
$100,000 - $249,000
Anonymous
June Eichbaum and Kenneth I.
Wirfel, Esq.
The Hearst Foundation
Carlie and Neal S. Garonzik
Christine and Kevin Hennessey
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Hannah and Lon Jacobs
Loeb and Loeb LLP
Maher Family Foundation
The Marc Haas Foundation
Dr. Elsa Roe
Margie and Nate Thorne
$50,000 - $99,999
Anonymous (3)
Dreamworks
Fox News
Below: Classroom Pre-Construction
Goldman Sachs
The Harriman Foundation
Hearst Corporation
Robert and Ardis James Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Leach
Patricia Nooy and Roger W. Miller
Morgan Stanley Foundation
NASDAQ OMX Education
Foundation
The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc.
Rattner Family Foundation
Susan and William Rifkin
Saban Family Foundation
Time Warner Inc.
Triarc Companies Inc.
Viacom
$25,000 - $49,999
American Express Company
Beacon Capital Partners LLC
Bridgemill Foundation
The Y.C. Ho/Helen and Michael
Chiang Foundation
CIT Group Inc.
Deborah Cooper and Daniel
Sternberg
The Stanley & Fiona Druckenmiller
Fund
Forest City Ratner Companies
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
S. Parker Gilbert
The Heckscher Foundation for
Children
Hill Holliday
Hyde & Watson Foundation
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Microsoft Corporation
Kate and Joel Millonzi
MTV Networks
Offensend Family Foundation
O'Neal Family Foundation
Cindy and David Pinter
Eileen Caulfield Schwab
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher &
Flom LLP
Tsunami Foundation: Debra &
Anson Beard, Jr. and Family
Lee and Cynthia Vance
Foundation
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Peter A. & Deborah L.
Weinberg Family Foundation
Pia and Jimmy Zankel
Barbara and Michael ‘
Zimmerman
$10,000 - $24,999
The Adeona Foundation
Roger and Beth Ailes
Anonymous (3)
ASM Mechanical Systems
Wendy Banner and Geoffrey Wiener
Jane Condon and Kenneth Bartels
Bernard Family Charitable Fund
Ellen Bickal and Gary Bieber
Anna and Thomas Bryan
Bryan Cave LLP
Centerview Partners
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Fred Demenus
Carol and James Dillon
DirecTV
Disney Worldwide Services Inc.
Dodgers Dream Foundation
CB Richard Ellis
Ernst & Young
E. Ann Gill and Robert Hempel
Foundation for the Supporters of the
Disabled, Inc.
Greenberg Traurig LLP
JLS Industries
The Johnson Foundation
Kasowitz Benson Torres and
Friedman LLP
L & L Holding Company
Margot and Edward Levy
Deborah McLean and Keith Kearney
The Meguid Family
NBC Universal
Vikram Pandit
Related Partners
Bernard and Anne
Spitzer Foundation
Sharon Sullivan
Dr. Michael
Termini
Katherine and
Alan Trager
UBS Securities
Wachtell Lipton
Rosen & Katz
LLP
White Flowers
Foundation
Warren and Cathy Gorrell
Nelson Griggs
Douglas and Patricia Gross
Gross & Ehrhardt LLP
Karen Hagberg and Mark Jackson
Jill and Paul Haggerty
Haeng Eum Han and Jang Kyu
Moon
Maureen Hanlon
Dori Ann Hanswirth
Harper Collins
Linda and Marshall Heinberg
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Henick
Robin Henry
Les Hinton
Robert Hughes
Larry Hunter
Intermedia Advisors
Jennifer Jehn
Jonathan Knee
Edward Knight
Victor A. Kovner Esq.
Thomas H. Lee Capital LLC
Carol and Jack P. Levin
Gabrielle and Joseph Levy
Anne-Marie and Peter Livoti
Jacqueline Lowey and
David Kuperschmid
LRN Corporation
$1,000 - $9,999
Susanna Aaron and Gary
Ginsberg
ABS Charitable Foundation
Ellen Agress and Jay Gerber
Vincent Alfieri
Anonymous (6)
Ariel Investments LLC
Bruce Aust
Rachel Aydt and Jim Burton
Bear Foundation Inc.
JoAnn and Robert Beltempo
Carol Benjamin and Carol
Monderer
Susan Bhyunn
Robert R. Bose
Kathleen and Chris Boak
Valerie Boom and James Gunderson
Diane Brandi
Dr. Naomi Bravmann and Dr.
Andrew Martin
Brearley School Class of 2010
Leslie and Frederick Bright
Mary Jane and Charles Brock
Harriet and Tom Burnett Family
Foundation
Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III
Clermont Communications Group
Constantine Cannon LLP
The Chernin Family Foundation Inc.
Dow Jones and Company Inc.
Cheryl and Blair Effron
Howard Ellin
R. Bradford Evans
Lawrence E. Fabian Esq.
Louis Feinberg Foundation/Vicki
Wiener
Maria and Ivan Gallegos
John Gallin & Son
Genie Gavenchak and Harvey
Horowitz
Charlotte and Gerrald Giblin
Susan Glendon
Patricia Godoy
Mary Golden and Kenneth Handal
Ricki and Mitchell Lubart
Mihoko Manabe and Edward Kim
Noreen and Mario Mastrangelo
Barbara and Bowen (Buzz) McCoy
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Bernard (Bud) McDonald
Dr. Steven Medwid
Kyoko and Toshio Mikami
Mintz & Gold LLP
Morgan Stanley
Patricia and John Nallen
Eileen Nugent
Joyce and Daniel Pariser
Patterson Belknap Webb &
Tyler LLP
Political Strategies & Insights LLC
Joseph R. Puskarz
Maria and Johnny Rahman
Eileen Red
Mike Regan
Howard J. Rubenstein
Henry B. Schacht Trust
Patti Schaefer and Tom Fahey
Karen Schlesinger
Jonathan Schwartz
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Jeffrey Sine
Mary Ann and Arthur Siskind
Rose Marie and Kelly Smith
Susan and Ted Sonde
Benjamin Stapleton
Clifford Thau
Post-Construction Classroom
Elevator Renovations
Michael Starr
Lissa Steele and Vince Pisano
Patricia Thakkar
Robert Thompson
Janet Truncale
Rita Tuzon and Richard Stone
Miriam and Mark Varian
Lisa and Javier Vega
Nicole and David Wachter
R. Clark Wadlow
Mark Weinstein
Alice Welt and Daniel
Cunningham
The Whittemore Foundation
Leah and Robert Wilcox
Serena and William Wiltshire
Sarah Winkler and Simon
Leopold
Shirley and Michael Wise
Lorraine Deeb-Castley
Other ($1 - $999)
Hala Aboul Hosn
Julie Abramowitz
Carmen Acevedo
Ruth Acevedo
Kevin Allard
Glen Alldredge
Philip Altman
Penny and Joseph Annecco
Anonymous (6)
Elke and Mario Archangel
Debra and Jack Arkin
Betty Ashe and John O'Toole
Kumiko Ashino and Richard
Hara
Betsy Atkins
Ellen Banner
Sheryl and Roger Barometre
Deborah and Paul Bartel
Lauren Baum and David Blythe
Muna and Krishna Prasad
Belbase
Jamal Bermudez
Hermine and Irwin Berowitz
Zainab Bhatti
Janet Bickal
Jerry Biggers
Susan Bloch and Stephen Kay
Luisa Bonachea
Matt Bonelli
Sara Bracken
Sylvia and Neil Bradley
Carlene and Mark Braithwaite
Donald Brant
Ludovica Brigatti
Juan Briones
Annette Brock
Genna Brower
Linda and Donald Burke
Cynthia Butler
DeNeen Butler
Maritza Caba
Rita and Mike Calderon
Jenny Cantanero and
Oscar Peralta
Paul V. Carlucci
The Carney Family
Elizabeth and Kenneth Carr
Damaris Castillo
Mary and Donald Cerna
Gerald Chamales
Patricia and Morris Charles
Bethany Chase
Charles Cheek
Julia Using New Elevator
Joanne Chiu
Jennifer Cho
Leanne Clancy
Mary Clancy
Caren and Arturo
Constantiner
Veronica Cook
Thomas J. Cooper
Emily Cozart-Mason
Luz Crespo and
Jaime Lopez
Norma Cruz
Georgina Cyrillien and
Eric Edwards
Lorraine Deeb-Castley
De Feis O'Connell &
Rose PC
Karen and Anthony
DeLorenzo
Willie Dennis
Susan and Chris Devlin
Norka Diaz
Ann and Egidio DiMarco
Christie DiStefano
Jamie Lee Dorado
Jamal Dorsett
Ann Dowd and
Lawrence Arancio
Kathleen and
Lawrence Dunne
Carolyn Edelstein
Lynne Eickmeyer
Katherine Ellis-Hernandez
Mr. and Mrs. John Erdman
Karen Espinoza
Teri Everett
Anthony Lennon Fahey
Chondite Faison
Nan Fedak
Amy and Eric Federman
Randi and Warren Feldman
Danielle and Kert Fernandez
Esther Fernandez and
Mario Gutierrez
Jessica Fernandez
Gail Fevrier
Marilyn Friedman and
Thomas Block
Deborah Fuhrer
Jasper Gaerlan
Dr. Eleanor Galenson
Rulisa Galloway and James
Burgess
Betty Garcia
Marcia and Paul Gardere
Marian Gassman
Carol Ann Glazer
Sonia Glazer
Janet and Chris Goff
Jill Goldstein
Edwin Gomez
Rose Gomez
Mildred Gonzales and Edwin
Viera
Thomas Goodridge
Carmen and Rafael Goris
Jonathan Gratch
Ashley Gray
Jesse Green
Jennifer and
Russell Gribbin
Janet Griffith
Stacy Grossman
Jennifer Grotas
Gerald Growney
Lawrence Gulotta
Mario Gutierrez
Mordi Gutnick
Pamela Guzman
Nicole Hall
Anne and Kevin Halligan
Patricia Hambrecht
Ryo and Aya Hasegawa
Danielle Helfand
The Hendel Family
Miriam Hendel and
Sheldon Steiger
Victoria and William
Henderson
Norma Hendricks
Alexa Hernandez
Anna Hernandez
Joselyn Fine
Bernisse Flores
Sally Foley
Amy Freed
Mike Fricklas and
Donna Astion
Patricia and Hector
Hernandez
Wanda and Angelico
Hernandez
Birgit and Lenny Hickey
Frances Hickox
Cafeteria/Learning Lab Construction
Michael King Holmes
Janet Hon
Virginia and Richard Horan
Deborah and Edward
Horowitz
Daphne and Matthew Hunter
Clifford and Marielena
Hurvich
Frank Iannelli
Barbara Isenstadt
Eileen and Peter Jachym
Kesha Jackson
Leslie and Charles Jeffries
Alexander Johnson
Beverly Johnson
Charlayne Jones
Brenda and Peter Jordan
John Jordan
Chris and Gabriele Kartchner
Lee Keating
Art Kerber
Hal Kessler
Renee Khatami and
John MacArthur
Nahede Khosrovi
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Kirch
Laurin and Norman Kleiman
Michael Kleinerman
Vera Kohn
Rea Kolski
Mark Kranz
Victoria Kristal-Kotlyar
Elizabeth Kroczynski and
Jordon Saxe
Michele Kule-Korgood Esq.
Rona Kurtz and Irv Weinstein
Joshua Kuvin
Teresa and Tadeusz
Kwasniak
Tiffany LaBanca
Katie Lance
Rick Lane
Dana and John Lang
Evelyn Larios
Nicole LaRosa
Robin Lawrence and
Sonny France
James B. Lee Jr.
Miguel and Cynthia Lee
Edna Leib
Heidi Levine and
Paul Allman
Mark Levine
Louise Levy
Donna Lewis
Jessica Liebov
Maria and Jarrett Lilien
Joseph Link
Jordan Lippner
Rachel and David Lipton
Sagrario Lisandro
and Juan Zuniga
Antoinette Little
Kevin Mark Lodie
Haydee Lorenzo
Nicole Lucin and
Giovanni Briones
Elizabeth Lunbeck
and Gary Gerstle
Michelle Lung
Patricia and Patrick
Lynch
Rosemary Lynch
Tara Lynch
Bradford Lyon and
Sarah Higgins
M & S Foundation Inc.
Jillian Ma
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Maas
Rosemary and
Santos Macaya
Krysta MacLeod
Amy Madrack
Cafeteria Post-Construction
Haydee and Heriberto
Maldonado
Marcela Maldonado
Maniatty Foundation
Louis Manzo
James Marcovitz
Jennifer Markowitz
Jacqueline and Genaro
Marrero
Brigitte Martel
Kevin Martinez
Rachel Maslanka and
Fernando Navas
Angela Matthews
Valerie McDonald
and Khadim Ngom
Molly Ann McEneny
and Kevin Walsh
Mary McKenna and
Mark Leeds
Inez and William
McMahon
Olga Medwid
Susan and Michael Meisler
Demaris and Jacob Melendres
Liske Mendoza
Louisa Millonzi
Mintz Levin PC
Catherine Miranda
Akiko Miyake
Elizabeth Montalbano
Leslie Moorer
Blanca Morales
Sara and Felix
Morales
Yajaira Morel
Mary Munsch
Elizabeth and
William Munz
Rachel Munz
Katherine M. Nadler
Shira and Joseph
Nahmias
Joan and Richard
Nardi
Neff Family
Charitable Trust
Magaly Nematalla
Dr. Neil Newman
Linda Noone
Lisanne and Nathaniel Norman
Martha and Frankie Nunez
Yanira Nunez and Anthony Mota
Adele M. O'Grady and
Jim Botticelli
Christine O’Leary
Anne O'Malley
Cynthia Ortiz and Maria Casiano
Jacqueline M. Osborn
Cynthia Overton
Liz Pagedas
Juliet Paradine
Steven Paradise
Bindia Patel
Floyd Patterson Sr.
Deborah Patton and
Jon Montgomery
Patton Boggs LLP
Curtiss Bryan Peabody
Charles and Joyce Pearlman
Linda and Joseph Pehrson
Emma Pena
Kristie Perkins
Marsha Perkins
Maria Pia and Jeffrey Negron
Dariana Pichardo
Dina Pilgrim
Lyudmila & Igor Pinkhasov
Leonard Plaia
Yana Pleshivoy
Tonya Pope
Marilyn and James Porcaro
Patria Portes
We celebrated the completion of the
campaign with a party at the corporate
offices of Sidley Austin on January 28.
Thanks to all who were able to attend.
Daniela Prutica-Whitlow
Tara Quinn
Mary Ann and Bruno Quinson
Eliane and Joseph Rackman
Jasmina and Orhan Radoncic
Siegrid Raible and Dudley Gaffin
Patricia and Lewis Raibley
Kelly Reina
Maxine and Earl Reiss
Margareta Reyes-Mora
Ruth Reynoso
Julie and William Rivera
David Robards
Robert Robbins
Susan Robinson
Elidza and Javier Robles
Isamar Rodriguez
Nadeen Rodriguez
Jo Rogers
Luis Rosario
Laurel Rossi and Joseph Filippone
Judy and Bennett Roth
Lori Rothstein
Eric Rubenstein
John Sabatini
Beatrice Sabum and Okor Ogbu
Susan and Elliot Sagor
JoAnn Sanchez
Ray Sanseverino
Tina Santiago
Fiordaliza Santos
David Schaefer
Roslyn and Scott Schneider
Linda Schwartz
Phyllis Schwartz
Suzanne and Gerald Schwartz
Lyrie Ann and Ernest Scinto
Linda Scot0t
Adriana Serrano
Mildred and Jorge Serrata
Ying and Henry Shao
Susan and Joel Shapiro
Jarred David Sharar
Rufina Shayne
Learning Lab Post-Construction
Ira Sheinfeld
Ann and James Silberman
Jamie Sildar
Kathryn Simic
Roberta Simon-Hollander
Amanda Slatus
Karen Smith
Andrew Solomon
Audrey Ann Soto
Dina Spiegel
Billy Spillman
Nada Srdonovic
Sarah Stapleton
Sharon Stein
Lisa E. Steinberg
Anthony Stewart
Nancy Stillpass
Arthur Stout
Kim and Sam Stowers
Margaret Strauss
Sharon and Michael Strongin
Kalyani A. Subramaniam
Cindy Surdi
Nancy and Robert Swain
Francis Tabone
Marsha Tajima
Angelica Tang
Hope Taylor
Catherine and Jeffrey Tolin
Keith Torjusen
Nile Tompkins
Howard Topaz
Dennis Tracey
Virginia Trainor
Sheila G. Trarkus
Betty Treslor
Cheryl Tuttle
Katty Vargas
Crystal M. Vick-Sawyer
Kathleen and Michael Voldstad
Karen and David Waltuck
Paula Wardynski
Lora Duff Warrix
Tara Watts
Lauren and Ari Weisfelner
Leah Weisfogel
Tina Wells
Neil Westreich
Darlene White
Ruth Wilson and Colin Howell
Jayne and Jay Wiprovnick
Mikhaila Wirfel
Dr. and Mrs. Scott Wolfe
Erica Wolff
Jocelyn and Richard Woolworth
Maureen Wycisk
YAI Young Adult Institute /
Dr. Phillip Levy
Benjamin Yost
Our Dedicated Construction Crew
Cooke Center for Learning and Development
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 730
New York, NY 100115
CAMPAIGN LEGACY:
Continued from page one
We have sparked the interest of the
university community, too, and they have been
generous in their willingness to partner with us:


This fall, we launched a program on the New York
University campus for students who have completed four
years at the Academy but need a bit more assistance in
bridging the difficult passage from adolescence to
adulthood.
Teachers’ College at Columbia University is working with
our Lower School faculty on technology and has
developed an exciting photography project for Cooke
students and their general education peers.
Our commitment to students throughout New York City
continues, and the campaign has helped us expand our
outreach in poor communities:

This year, we are providing long-term teacher training
in 25 elementary schools in Manhattan and the Bronx.
One principal has already attributed an increase in
student test scores to the efforts of the Cooke literacy
consultant.

Through new partnerships with Head Start programs
such as Harlem Children’s Zone we are preparing
preschoolers for a lifetime of academic achievement and
offering training to hundreds of parents and preschool
teachers around the city.
COOKE CENTER
ACADEMY’S
2010
GRADUATING
CLASS
Organizationally, the campaign helped us build support
and enthusiasm from within. The Kresge Foundation
Challenge Grant, in particular, served to dramatically
increase participation in our fundraising efforts among Cooke
families and staff.
Finally, measuring
student success is
important to any
school, and thanks to
the campaign we have
significantly increased
our capacity to report
on student
achievement and
program Outcomes.
We are confident that Cooke will continue
to accomplish great things in the coming years.
We will use the success of this campaign to
remind ourselves that – similar to the great
strides our students make in the face of
sometimes seemingly insurmountable odds—we
saw a challenge, and through the extraordinary
efforts of every member of the Cooke family, rose to
meet it.
Thank you for being part of the legacy.